“If you do not connect with others, influence is out of the question.”

“Influencing others is a matter of disposition, not position.”

“Tone, inflection, timing, volume, pacing—everything you do with your voice communicates something and has the potential to help you connect to or disconnect from others when you speak.”

“The measure of a great teacher isn’t what he or she knows; it’s what the students know.”

“One of the reasons that problem solving is so difficult is that we are often too close to the problems to truly understand them.”

“Dreams often come one size too big so that we can grow into them.”

“The Cost and Expectation of Leadership Leviticus 7:33–35 Aaron, like many leaders throughout history, received a divine calling. God chose Aaron and his sons to serve as Israel’s priests and charged them with carrying out rituals and sacrifices on behalf of all Israelites. Scripture gives meticulous detail to their ordination and calling. Their conduct was to be beyond reproach—and God made it crystal clear that failure to uphold His established guidelines would result in death. Numerous accounts in the Book of Leviticus demonstrate the high cost and expectation that goes with a holy calling to leadership positions. As the high priest, Aaron was the only one authorized to enter the Most Holy Place and appear before the very presence of God. The Lord set Aaron apart for his holy work. Despite his high calling, Aaron struggled with his authority and later caved in to the depraved wishes of the people. He failed at a crucial juncture and led Israel in a pagan worship service, an abomination that led to the deaths of many Israelites. Aaron had been set apart for God’s service, but he chose to live and lead otherwise. The failure of a leader usually results in consequences far more grave than the fall of a non-leader. On the day Aaron failed, “about three thousand men of the people fell [died]” (Ex. 32:28). When leaders fail, followers pay the price.”

“there are five nonnegotiable characteristics that every effective leader must have: a sense of calling, an ability to communicate, creativity in problem solving, generosity, and consistency.”

“I may not be able to change the world I see around me, but I can change what I see within me.”

“Everyone enjoys being inspired. But here’s the truth when it comes to personal growth: Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing. That’s the Law of Consistency. It doesn’t matter how talented you are. It doesn’t matter how many opportunities you receive. If you want to grow, consistency is key.”

“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful.”

“No matter what our circumstances, our greatest limitation isn’t the leader above us—it’s the spirit within us.”

“We are all failures—at least, all the best of us are.

“Nobody on his death bed ever said, ‘I wish I had spent more time on my business.”

“A real decision is measured by the fact that you’ve taken a new action. If there’s no action, you haven’t truly decided.”